Smile
by Laelia Sarai
Summary: Torn and Jak are assigned with destroying a new factory the Baron is building, but it goes horribly, horribly wrong. TornJak one-shot


Jak sat with his eyes half-closed around the table while Torn droned on about something or another. Other members of the Underground were packed into the room around him. The only difference between the other members and Jak was that Jak wasn't paying attention and the others were.

"All right everyone, you're all free to go- except you Jak." Torn said. The others sniggered as they left the two alone- Daxter was with Tess. Torn walked around the table to Jak with his hands behind his back. "You need to start paying attention, Jak." Torn said, stopping in front of Jak.

Jak frowned. "I know what I'm doing, Torn." He said, his back against the table. "You may be above the others, Jak, but you still need to listen to what I have to say." torn insisted. Jak smirked. "Was that a comment I just heard?" He asked. Torn rolled his eyes and put his face closer to Jak's. "Maybe. But that doesn't change anything." He said, then added a smirk of his own.

Jak grabbed the collar of Torn's shirt and pulled Torn to him, their lips meeting for the first time in neither of them remembered how long. Jak ran his tongue along Torn's bottom lip and Torn smirked into the kiss, opening his mouth.

Before they could take their kiss any farther, Torn pulled back. Jak pouted, trying to pull Torn back. "We shouldn't be doing this." Torn said, resting his forehead against Jak's. Jak grinned deviously. "Does it matter? No one is here." Jak said, trying to kiss Torn again.

Torn pressed his index finger to Jak's lips to stop him. "We were almost caught, Jak." He said. Jak smirked and took Torn's hand in his own. "We won't make the same mistake as last time." Jak said, pushing past Torn and locking the door to the Underground. "What if someone comes?" Torn asked worriedly. "Then they'll knock and we'll hear it." Jak said, sashaying back over to Torn.

It was Torn's turn to have his back against the table as Jak melted into him. It was almost impossible to tell where one began and the other ended. Torn's hands were in Jak's hair and Jak's arms were around Torn's neck as they kissed, the kiss growing more and more passionate by the second.

They were interrupted by the inevitable knock on the door. They both pulled away, panting heavily. Jak sat on the table and tried to catch his breath as Torn went up and unlocked the door.

Ashelin walked in, giving Torn a strange look. His face was flushed and he was breathing heavily. "Why was the door locked?" Ashelin asked suspiciously, walking down the stairs ahead of Torn. "Ah- I don't know. Someone must have locked it by accident on their way out." Torn said, shrugging off Ashelin's question.

Ashelin saw Jak sitting on the table and she raised her eyebrows. He was the same as Torn; breathing heavily, flushed face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two have been-" "You must have something important to say if you've come all the way out here." Torn interrupted. Ashelin blinked, then nodded. "Yes. My father is building something. These are the plans. I thought you'd like to take a look at them." She said, handing Torn a bunch of rolled up papers.

Torn and Jak stretched them out across the table. "I stole the plans myself- I covered my tracks well, my father thinks he misplaced them." Ashelin said when Torn cast her a surprised glance at the importance of the documents. "I should be going, I don't want anyone to find this place." Ashelin said, forgetting her first suspicions of the two.

After looking over the papers briefly and making sure no one was coming back, Jak and Torn resumed what they had been doing minutes before. Jak sat on the table, his legs wrapped loosely around Torn's waist, their lips crushed together. They weren't having much luck that day, because as their actions grew more and more heated the clock struck 9. Torn pulled back reluctantly and started gathering things.

"I love you, Torn." Torn stopped in his tracks and walked to the other side of the room, his back to Jak. "Don't ever say that." Torn said, frowning. "What? Why? It's the truth." Jak said, taking a step towards Torn. "Because nothing can ever come of this… this… fling we're having." Torn spat, only turning his head as he spoke, his body staying stationary. "Why not Torn?" Jak pressed. "Because people like us are killed immediately by the Baron. He hates homosexuals." Torn said quietly.

"Is that why you left?" Jak asked. Torn thought for a moment. "Yes. He killed two of them right before my eyes. I don't want that to happen to you." Torn said. "Does that mean you love me, too?" Jak wondered out loud. "No, Jak. I don't love. Now come on. We have a factory to shut down."

Because the building of the factory was so secret and had just begun, there were hardly any guards around. Ashelin had sent Sig to help Jak and Torn. "Hello, cherries." Sig greeted. Jak smiled in greeting and Torn nodded. Both their eyes widened as they heard a feminine giggle.

"Tess?" Jak asked. "You caught me." She giggled. "What are you doing here?" Jak asked. "Well, my little whisker-puss overheard Sig planning to meet you and we decided to come too!" Tess explained. Daxter climbed up Jak's shoulder. "Yea, buddy. We couldn't be left behind on the action!" Daxter said. Torn rolled his eyes. "Just keep quiet." Torn said, walking over to the zoomers.

There was one zoomer for two and two for one. Torn and Jak took the two-person zoomer and they drove the short distance to the hidden site of the new building. Because it was night, there were even less guards then previously.

"They're getting cocky." Torn smirked. "Sure, the place is hard as hell to find, but they should know better. Now, there are three main power stations running this place; all three have to be demolished. Jak and I will take the one on top of the tower. Tess and rat; you two can have the one next to the tower. Sig; you'll get the one across from the tower." Torn ordered. "How are we going to destroy them?" Tess asked. Torn smirked. "Jinx left behind some explosives. Have fun." Torn said, handing everyone dynamite.

Jak and Torn set off for the tower. They were all wearing darker clothes then normal, so it would be hard to be seen. They inched along the wall until they reached the tower. They climbed up, Jak first, then Torn. They reached the top and Jak peeked into the tiny room with the power box. There was one KG patrolling the room and Jak jumped in when he had his back turned.

Jak hit the KG in the neck to where he was knocked unconscious. Jak planted the explosives in the power box and climbed over the edge with Torn's help. "You got the detonator?" Jak asked Torn. Torn nodded. "It's in my pocket." He said, and started climbing down.

Halfway down the tower, Torn's leg decided to cramp. "Ah! God damn!" Torn gasps, clinging to the side in pain. "What?" Jak asked, looking down concerned. "My leg cramped." Torn muttered. He stayed still for a moment and his leg twitched. "Shit!" He cursed. "What?" Jak asked. "We gotta get down- the detonator's falling out of my pocket." Torn said, climbing down faster then before.

They were three quarters of the way down when the detonator fell from Torn's pocket. "Shit!" Torn yelled as the detonator fell to the ground, causing the explosives to go off. "JUMP!" He yelled, dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way of the crumbling tower. Jak jumped and landed next to him, but he was in the path of the falling debris. The tower crumbled faster and it took a split second for Torn to make his decision. He launched himself at Jak, knocking him out of the way just as the debris fell onto him.

Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion for Jak. He felt Torn push him out of the way and he landed on his stomach- Torn had pushed him surprisingly far. Dust from the explosion covered Jak and clogged him nose and mouth. After it had cleared a bit, Jak coughed. "Thanks, Torn." He wheezed, but got no response. "Torn?" Jak asked, looking around him. He saw nothing. He crawled forward and saw Torn laying on his back and struggling to breathe. It didn't take long for Jak to realize Torn had pushed him out of the way so the crumbling tower would fall on him instead,

"Why did you do that, Torn?" Jak asked, kneeling next to Torn. Torn looked at him with a shocked expression, then said, "Because I couldn't live with myself knowing I could have saved you and didn't."

"How do you expect me to live with myself knowing you died to save me?" Jak asked, feeling tears form in his eyes. Tears. He hadn't cried since he had first been captured by the guards and tortured.

"You told me once you'd do anything to make me happy because it seemed like I never was. Well, it makes me happy to know that you're alive." Torn explained, coughing a bit, blood running over his lips.

They were both silent, until words never before spoken escaped Torn's lips. "I love you." Torn smiled weakly.

"Torn, you're smiling." Jak said through tears. Torn laughed. "I never thought I'd say that, and now that I have it feels good to have gotten it off my chest." He said. "You have a nice smile, Torn. It would be nice to see it more often." Jak said. They both laughed until Torn started coughing uncontrollably. "God, Jak, I can't feel my body." Torn said once he stopped coughing. Jak tried pushing the huge stones off Torn's body, but couldn't.

"Jak, the guard will be here any second. You have to go." Torn said. "No, Torn. I won't leave you here. I've got to get you to a hospital." Jak protested, still trying to move the various rocks that covered Torn's body. "No, Jak. I'm not going to live. We both know that." Torn muttered, closing his eyes. His breathing became more and more ragged. "No, Torn, you're going to be ok. Just let me get you out of here." Jak said, trying once again to move the rocks off Torn's broken body.

"I love you Jak." Torn smiled, his eyes closed. He brought his shaking hand to Jak's face and touched it softly. "I love you too, Torn." Jak said, touching Torn's hand with his own. "You can't die, I'll never be able to love anyone ever again if you do." Jak sobbed. "You have to, Jak. You have to. Just smile for me; one last time." Torn begged, his breathing becoming fainter. Jak smiled against Torn's hand, and Torn smiled. "I love you…" He whispered.

Jak leaned down and pressed his lips to Torn's softly. He could feel Torn takes his last breath; it was like someone hit him on the back of the head with a particularly large candle and now the hot wax was dripping down his back.

He pulled away and could feel the tears run down his face. "Torn?" He asked, then jerked his head around when he heard Daxter calling him.

"Jak! Jak, come on! We have to get out of here!" Daxter said, finding Jak finally. "No, no I can't! I can't leave Torn behind!" "Jak.. Jak, he's gone." Tess said, putting her hand on Jak's shoulder and looking over Torn's body. "No! NO! Just help me- we have to free him." Jak said, trying to push the rubble off Torn's body. "He's gone, Jak. It's over." Tess said, trying to pull Jak up. "DON'T TOUCH ME! Don't touch me…" Jak collapsed as Sig arrived. "C'mon, chili pepper. He's not coming back, and no amount of yelling is going to change that." Sig said.

"I'm not going with you." Jak growled. Daxter began to get nervous. "Come on Jak! The KG will be here any moment!" Daxter said. "Then you leave! I don't care if they find me- I'm not leaving without Torn!" Jak insisted, turning his tear-shrouded gaze back to Torn. "I didn't want to have to do this…" Sig said, picking up Jak and turning and walking away.

"NO! NO! Put me down! Dammit, Sig, LET ME GO! I want to see Torn! Go get him! SIG! PLEASE!" Jak screamed, beating his fists against Sig's back. Sig and the others began running when they heard the footsteps of the KG behind them in the dust, searching for survivors.

"Sig… please… just let me get him…" Jak wept quietly, the dust in his lungs and his exhaustion finally getting to him. "I'm sorry chili pepper, you can't save him. He's beyond help." Sig said, slowing and sitting Jak in a Zoomer and climbing in next to him. "All he wanted was to see me smile…" Jak whispered as Sig nodded to Tess to detonate the other bombs.

The explosions made Jak wince, but his thoughts remained the same. 'All he wanted was to see me smile.'


End file.
